6 Reviews

I love the cute small atmosphere, but as far as vegan food it is not the haps. When I was vegetarian a few years ago it was more in-line (although my body was never that into cheese). The last few times I went, I think I only got a tea. Busy, friendly, fresh made food.

Looking at the menu online, there are several options which a vegan could eat: surely you could request vegetarian chili without the sour cream; or a lunch burrito without the cheese. My husband is vegan, and I hope we get to try it out soon.

I had read about this place on happycow, and here's my Cafe Zinc review.

Was driving through from LA to San Diego and decided to stop in. This is one 2 or 3 Cafe Zinc locations in the Southern California area.

The setting is very charming. It's a small shop with vine-shaded outdoor patio seating. Very green and relaxing.

All the food is ovo-veg or lacto-veg. Vegans have no choices here (unless a daily special is vegan?) - at least on the day my husband and I visited, all the regular menu items and the specials either had eggs and/or dairy. He, the vegan, drank only the coffee (organic). I had coffee with some baked goods (yummy). My neighbor had a tomato pasta salad dish that looked all right. Other foods I saw on display were quiche, croissant, brownie, mini cupcakes, and a few other freshly baked goods.

Well perhaps I should have done my due diligence by checking out the reviews for Zinc Cafe before stopping by, but alas I had not. When I first walked in my first questions was, "What are the vegan options?" To my dismay I was told there was not a single vegan option. It was really too bad because this cafe is quite charming. In fact as we pulled up we were pretty excited to spend some time here, it's located in a super-cute shopping area and the patio was covered with foliage and was very pleasant. My friend (non-veg) still ordered a drink and dessert item and enjoyed them, so if you're just vegetarian I'm sure you'll love this place. Overall I'd give it 2 cows for the total lack of vegan options but have added another because my friend liked her items and the decor of the place was very beautiful/relaxing.

Went here for the veggie burger but found out when i got there that it is not vegan as the patty contains cheese. I was disappointed to find there was only one vegan possible option on the menu, the black bean chili hold the sour cream. I liked the outdoor garden seating. This place is in the Solana beach shopping district, just down the street from the famous music venue the Belly Up. You order at the counter and then seat yourself. They give you pager with your order and when it goes off you pick up your food. Pretty efficient system.

A little cafe that feels like a garden hide-away. Great place to sit and relax with friends and family. The lemon ginger scones are worth going off your "no white sugar or flour" diet. Sun lovers should seek out the upper-level garden. Saturdays and Sundays can be pretty busy so go early if you can.

Pros: Lots of choices of dishes to order, Good pastries and small bites, Good coffee and soy milk available